Newfoundlander arrested in Iraq

Ottawa working to win release of former soldier detained during humanitarian mission

A former Canadian soldier being held in Iraq is in good health and Canadian Embassy officials are working to win his release, federal cabinet minister Judy Foote confirmed Monday.

Foote, the senior minister responsible for Newfoundland and Labrador, spoke to Mike Kennedy’s mother in Newfoundland earlier in the day, said press secretary Jessica Turner.

Kay Kennedy told radio station VOCM her son was arrested in Erbil in northern Iraq while taking part in what she called a humanitarian mission. She said she was speaking with him last Tuesday evening, when she realized something was wrong.

“He wasn’t his upbeat self,” she told VOCM. “He was very abrupt in his answers to me. Then, all of a sudden, he said, ‘Mom, I gotta go.’”

The woman told VOCM she hasn’t heard from her son since then, but a friend of his later confirmed via text message from northern Iraq that her son had been arrested after returning from a mission in northern Syria.

Kay Kennedy told the radio station it appeared there was a problem with some documents, suggesting some had expired. She said she was sure her son’s visa was good until January.

The stress of having a son in a war zone is nothing new for Kennedy.

On April 8, 2007, her son, Kevin, was one of six Canadian soldiers killed in Afghanistan when their light armoured vehicle struck a roadside bomb. The six were all members of the 2nd Battalion, Royal Canadian Regiment based at Canadian Forces Base Gagetown in New Brunswick.

“It’s not easy, especially after losing a son in 2007 in Afghanistan,” she said. “I haven’t been sleeping, just pacing the floors. I’m strong. I’m not falling apart. … I’m doing what I got to do to get my son out of there.”

Global Affairs Canada told The Canadian Press it was aware of a Canadian citizen being detained in Iraq, and spokeswoman Kristine Racicot confirmed in an email Canadian officials are providing consular assistance and are in contact with local authorities.

However, Racicot said she could not disclose more details because of privacy considerations.

Racicot said Global Affairs Canada is advising against all non-essential travel to Iraq, including the provinces under the control of the Kurdistan regional government in northern Iraq. The department said the security situation in Erbil and a few other towns “could deteriorate quickly.”

“All Canadians who travel to Syria and Iraq must do so at their own personal risk,” the email said. “Due to the unpredictable security situation, providing consular assistance in all parts of Iraq and Syria is severely limited.”

Kennedy is believed to be among hundreds of foreign